


Orange

by wednesday



Series: Writing Rainbow [9]
Category: Vampyr (Video Game)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:22:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24429427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wednesday/pseuds/wednesday
Summary: “Have you been following me, Doctor Reid?” she asked, and the question fell flat somewhere on the stained table between them. Nothing at all like the lovely bit of flirting earlier. Before she’d asked him to look for Emily. Before he’d found her.
Relationships: Charlotte Ashbury/Jonathan Reid
Series: Writing Rainbow [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1472090
Comments: 6
Kudos: 16
Collections: Writing Rainbow Make Up Round





	Orange

**Author's Note:**

  * For [StopTalkingAtMe](https://archiveofourown.org/users/StopTalkingAtMe/gifts).



Drinking alone was unpleasant and the taste of Charlotte’s drink was even worse. Figured that Doctor Reid would be the one to find her in such a state. 

“Have you been following me, Doctor Reid?” she asked, and the question fell flat somewhere on the stained table between them. Nothing at all like the lovely bit of flirting earlier. Before she’d asked him to look for Emily. Before he’d found her. 

“Not at all. But I do not think I can in good conscience leave you here on your own.” 

He looked too pitying for Charlotte’s liking, but after waiting a minute or two in silence Charlotte was satisfied that at least he wasn’t the kind of bastard that would bring up the reason she was here in the first place. 

She swirled her half empty drink, looked at the orange-brown liquid washing against the sides of her slightly chipped glass. 

It wasn’t like she didn’t understand the danger – mother always treated her like her request was somehow a product of naivete. Charlotte understood what needing blood to live meant perfectly well, she just… It was just never the part she cared about. She very likely would have ended up acting the same as Emily. Even when Doctor Reid had tried to scare her, when he’d been threatening to kill her, she had felt—not nearly as scared as she should have been. Tempted almost. 

Wouldn’t he have been _shocked_ to know that. 

Charlotte snorted, the sound entirely unladylike. 

But then, he would assume things about her that weren’t true at all. She wanted to live, just like Emily had wanted to live. Forever. And like Emily, she had thought her options were only: be denied or be turned. 

She didn’t want to think about it any more than she already had, so she downed the rest of the drink, grimaced and looked at Doctor Reid. 

“Well, you’d best take me home then.” 

Doctor Reid, still too understanding, offered his arm when she found standing upright just a bit too complicated. Charlotte held on to his elbow and tried to walk in a straight line. Almost straight. Reid steered her well enough that being so very inebriated seemed like hardly a problem. 

A few steps outside Reid stopped and offered Charlotte his coat, and she might have refused any other day, but it was cold and she wanted that coat. 

They made the rest of the way to her apartment slowly. Charlotte kept leaning more and more against his side, and Doctor Reid didn’t say one word about it. He would have carried her too, she’d bet, if Charlotte had asked. She wanted to ask, but there was some invisible line keeping her from going quite that far. She was drunk enough that no one would think worse of her for it, but she would know. 

At her door Doctor Reid took a step back and stood exactly like someone bidding an awkward goodnight. 

“Come in,” Charlotte said as breezily as she could. Carelessly, as if it meant nothing more than a simple invitation. She turned away and before she could doubt herself he stepped inside after her. 

She didn’t have any kind of plan, far too tired and drunk to do more than take off his coat and lay it over the back of a chair before she fell into her bed and waited for the spinning of the room to slow down enough for sleep. 

“I should go,” he said, “It’s close to dawn.” And Charlotte only _hmmm_ -ed in response without opening her eyes. 

Of course, then he didn’t leave – he carefully removed Charlotte’s shoes and pulled a blanket over her. It felt nice, so nice that she felt a flash of guilt at it. She shouldn’t have to – it was just them here, no one else had any say in this. 

He must have thought she was asleep already. Charlotte didn’t think he would have gone so far as to smooth his hand over her hair otherwise. He did that, and then did it again, and Charlotte felt so warm and soft, falling. 

_This is mine_ , was the last thought she had before she slipped into sleep. She was almost certain he kissed her forehead. It could have been a dream, but when she dreamed of him it wasn’t forehead kisses at all. 


End file.
